The Brilliant Minds at PG&E

Someone at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) came up with a brilliant idea: rather than causing or contributing to damaging fires when the weather turns dry and windy, they will shut off power to over 800,000 of its customers. For how long? They don’t know—it...
Governor Newsom, why should I bother voting?

Governor Newsom, why should I bother voting?

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to sign an executive order suspending the death penalty. While there hasn’t been an execution in the state since 2006, there are over 700 inmates on death row. How serious is the governor about this? He ordered that...
Hollywood vs. The Author

Hollywood vs. The Author

Rare Bird Books, 2018 (trade paperback, eBook)Brilliance Audio, 2019 (audiobook) It’s no secret that authors have a love-hate relationship with Hollywood. The oft-repeated cliché that “the book was better than the movie” holds true for more reasons than the average...
Dark Side of the Moon Reading Group Guide

Dark Side of the Moon Reading Group Guide

Following are topics designed to provide a stimulating discussion—but be careful…if you have not read Dark Side of the Moon yet, the questions below contain spoilers: 1) What did you enjoy most about Dark Side of the Moon? 2) Was the plot engaging? Did the story...

Current Trends in Publishing: Where do authors go from here?

If there’s one article you read about publishing this year, this should be it ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN SUSPENSE MAGAZINE (November/December 2018 issue) By Alan Jacobson and Peter Hildick-Smith USA Today bestselling author Alan Jacobson has been writing novels...
David Wright: dealt a hand, forced to play it

David Wright: dealt a hand, forced to play it

I’ve been a Mets fan for 49 years. (I feel old just typing that.) I’ve seen scores of players come and go. Some made their mark, while most didn’t. David Wright obviously did—not only in the record books but in the hearts of baseball fans, Mets fans, and his fellow...
False Accusations

False Accusations

Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, 1999 (hardcover) Smith Cabot (trade paperback) Open Road (eBook) Are you really innocent until proven guilty? Dr. Phillip Madison has everything: wealth, power, and an impeccable reputation. But in the pre-dawn hours of a quiet...

Naming characters

Choosing the proper names for my characters is something I have focused on my entire career–which now spans more than two decades. I remember reading books early on where the character names were so close to one another that I got mixed up who was who. As a...
Alan Jacobson takes Jess O’Brien to the Moon

Alan Jacobson takes Jess O’Brien to the Moon

Martini Productions’ Jess O’Brien talks with Alan Jacobson about his new OPSIG Team Black thriller, Dark Side of the Moon. Check out Alan’s book trailers and other interviews, including four with FBI profiler Mark Safarik, by clicking...